No Sound after power failure

Question

No Sound after power failure

Paul Leneva 25

Had A blackout and now I have no sound. Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there is a problem with your sound device. There might not be a sound device installed on your computer, it might be in use by another program or it might not be functioning properly.

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Zack Harris 0 Reputation points

2026-11-03T07:10:50.7466667+00:00

A quick check before reinstalling drivers: if this is a desktop, a power loss can sometimes reset BIOS settings, so make sure onboard audio is still enabled in the BIOS. Then in Windows, right-click the speaker icon, open Sound settings and confirm the right output device is selected. If it says no device is found, reinstalling the audio driver from the PC or motherboard maker's site usually fixes it.
JuliaMarvin 23,890 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-03T07:14:13.2333333+00:00

@Zack Harris
Please refrain from resurrecting old threads.
See: [Article] Community Tip: Get the most out of active questions

Answer accepted by question author

MUSTAFA SALAH 1,915

Step 1: Restart Audio Services

Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.

Locate Windows Audio.

Right-click it and select Restart. (If it’s not running, click Start).

Repeat this for Windows Audio Endpoint Builder and Remote Procedure Call (RPC).

Step 2: Force Hardware Re-scan

Right-click Start and select Device Manager.

Expand Sound, video and game controllers.

Right-click your audio device (e.g., Realtek High Definition Audio) and select Uninstall device.

Note: Do NOT check the box "Attempt to remove the driver."

Click the Action menu at the top and select Scan for hardware changes. Windows will automatically "find" and re-link the existing driver.

Step 3: Check BIOS:

If the audio device is missing from Device Manager and the driver update not worked:

Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, F10, or Del for HP/Dell).

Navigate to Advanced or Onboard Devices.

Ensure Onboard Audio is set to Enabled. (Sometimes a power flicker resets this to "Disabled").

Paul Leneva 25 Reputation points

2026-03-26T10:14:15.2066667+00:00

Hi Mustafa, first I want to thank you for reaching out to me. I will pin what I said to Hendrix it is equally meant to you as well.

"Hi Hendrix, first let me say thankyou for making the time to offer your assistance. As an older man who till my retirement I have had little to have much involvement with computers. I guess with that also comes not keeping up with the advances that computers have made. Both you and Mustafa gave me resolutions but I was having difficulty even as Mustafa suggested getting to the BIOS was causing me grief. I reached out to Microsoft and on their Chat something I have not done before they did a remote access. Not sure what they did but we were in communication throughout and the issue resolved. I am sure whatever they did was beyond my capabilities. But it is so gratifying to know that there are people like you and Mustafa that will reach out and offer assistance. Thankyou so much to both of you. One grateful Older Guy."

1 additional answer

Zack Harris 0 Reputation points

2026-11-03T07:10:50.7466667+00:00

A quick check before reinstalling drivers: if this is a desktop, a power loss can sometimes reset BIOS settings, so make sure onboard audio is still enabled in the BIOS. Then in Windows, right-click the speaker icon, open Sound settings and confirm the right output device is selected. If it says no device is found, reinstalling the audio driver from the PC or motherboard maker's site usually fixes it.
JuliaMarvin 23,890 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-03T07:14:13.2333333+00:00

@Zack Harris
Please refrain from resurrecting old threads.
See: [Article] Community Tip: Get the most out of active questions
Paul Leneva 25 Reputation points

2026-03-26T10:14:15.2066667+00:00

Hi Mustafa, first I want to thank you for reaching out to me. I will pin what I said to Hendrix it is equally meant to you as well.

"Hi Hendrix, first let me say thankyou for making the time to offer your assistance. As an older man who till my retirement I have had little to have much involvement with computers. I guess with that also comes not keeping up with the advances that computers have made. Both you and Mustafa gave me resolutions but I was having difficulty even as Mustafa suggested getting to the BIOS was causing me grief. I reached out to Microsoft and on their Chat something I have not done before they did a remote access. Not sure what they did but we were in communication throughout and the issue resolved. I am sure whatever they did was beyond my capabilities. But it is so gratifying to know that there are people like you and Mustafa that will reach out and offer assistance. Thankyou so much to both of you. One grateful Older Guy."

Answer 1

Hi Paul Leneva,

After a power outage or blackout, it’s common for Windows audio services or drivers to stop responding correctly. When this happens, Windows Media Player may display a message indicating there is a problem with the sound device, even though the hardware itself is still present.

Please try the steps below to restore sound:

1, Confirm an audio output device is selected

Go to Settings > System > Sound
Under Output, make sure a speaker or headphones device is listed and selected

2, Restart Windows audio services

Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and press Enter
Restart Windows Audio
Restart Windows Audio Endpoint Builder

3, Check the audio device status

Right‑click Start > Device Manager
Expand Sound, video and game controllers
Ensure the audio device is enabled and shows no warning icon

4, Run the Windows Media Player troubleshooter

Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters
Select Run next to Windows Media Player

5, Test system sound outside Media Player

Use Settings > System > Sound > Test, or
Play audio in another app to confirm system sound is working

If sound returns in other apps but not in Windows Media Player, repairing or resetting the app can help restore normal playback.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Paul Leneva 25 Reputation points

2026-03-26T10:12:32.6733333+00:00

Hi Hendrix, first let me say thankyou for making the time to offer your assistance. As an older man who till my retirement I have had little to have much involvement with computers. I guess with that also comes not keeping up with the advances that computers have made. Both you and Mustafa gave me resolutions but I was having difficulty even as Mustafa suggested getting to the BIOS was causing me grief. I reached out to Microsoft and on their Chat something I have not done before they did a remote access. Not sure what they did but we were in communication throughout and the issue resolved. I am sure whatever they did was beyond my capabilities. But it is so gratifying to know that there are people like you and Mustafa that will reach out and offer assistance. Thankyou so much to both of you. One grateful Older Guy.
Hendrix-V 20,790 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-28T23:49:29+00:00

Hi Paul Leneva,

I'm relieved to know that you made a great decision and everything is good to go on your side. I hope the insights shared in the forum help address your concerns effectively. And thank you for accepting the answer of this thread since accepting it helps others with similar concerns can find useful information.

If you have any updates or further questions, please feel free to share them with us.